Welcome to February’s Word Crawl!Don’t know what a crawl is? No problem! I’ve given you a run-down of everything you need hereIn short though, it’s like a writing board game: you write from one instruction to the next to create a story of 300 words or more and it can be about absolutely anything (you don’t have to stick to the Harry Potter theme in any way). If you’d like to share your story, you’ll earn 20 beans and it will count towards your chance of earning one of our shiny quill and ink awards. You can post it below or if you’re uncomfortable sharing publically but would still like it to count, you can email it to us at hol.bookclub @ gmail.com (without spaces) with the subject line Crawl-Month-HOL ID. There is no deadline, though if you want to scoop that award for a particular year, we’ll need it by the end of that school year.

We’ve reached the Deathly Hallows and a desperate hunt in the depths for a particular piece of treasure. Equip yourself with some clankers and something to write with and let’s go.

After some daring (albeit dangerous and highly questionable) manoeuvring, you find yourself in the rocky passage at Gringotts.*Write 25 words while you dump the Death Eater you accidentally acquired and call the cart*

You embark on the bone-jarring, teeth-loosening, heart-slamming rollercoaster ride of profound unpleasantness (fun for all the family) and find yourself deep beneath the earth.*Write 75 words while you try not to lose your breakfast* (Bonus if your character is undertaking a scary journey of their own)

You smash through a waterfall and are flung from the cart.*Write 40 words while you pick yourselves up, dust yourselves off and slowly come to the realisation that that was no decorative water feature*

With your disguises in ribbons and a brand new crop of bruises, you realise your troubles are only just beginning.*Write 20 words while you ease past the dragon on guard*

Finally…the vault you’ve come to find*Write another 20 words while you examine the strange and beautiful trove around you*

Ouch! You suddenly learn about two new protective charms in quick succession and find yourself buried in scalding treasure*Write yet another 20 words while you cast Levicorpus to rescue yourself* (Bonus if you can write it while your keyboard, screen or notebook is upside down)

You spy the cup you’ve come to find and somehow manage to snag it but also somehow manage to bring yourself crashing back down onto the tide of treasure…which hasn’t cooled down any since your last bracing dip.*Write 30 words while you flounder*

At last, the door opens and you surf out on a sea of gold… which doesn’t feel nearly as awesome as it should under the circumstances *Write 20 words while you take stock and realise the goblins coming towards you are rather angry* (Bonus if there’s a confrontation in your story)

Spy the dragon again. Caught between swords and the possibility of fire and fangs, you reluctantly realise that your only hope is to do the unthinkable and climb aboard *Write 50 words while you help your new scaly friend with some structural remodelling*

Gloriously soar into the skies of creativity, wowing those left behind on the ground*Share your story with us *

"Does the Walker choose the path or the path the walker?" -Garth Nix (Av/sig by Amy!)

The moon shone through the window and glistened off the metal surface of the scissors. Suddenly they stretched and rose from their sleeping position. Scissors were creatures of the night, just like most things were.

The scissors walked to the edge of the table on which they were left by Joey the human who often used the scissors while they were sleeping and awoke them. As the scissors neared the edge they suddenly realized that the chair they usually used to climb down was pushed away, far too away from the table to be able to jump to them. The scissors decided to use the alternate route of the laptop cord but the laptop was also not there.

The scissors were stranded. Sighing they sat down on the edge of the table, and looked upon their lands. Here, where Joey slept, was the scissor’s estate. Yes, the scissors were under the rule of King Vacuum, but they lived happily as long as they payed their due.

Suddenly, the door creaked open as Mother came in. The scissors didn’t care about the human, but in the light of the corridor they saw their one true love: Paper. She was beautiful, entrancing.

Her crisp lines folded easily and she could become smaller than him in an instant of folding. She could bend and crumple and her glossy surface was smooth to the touch. She was the scissor’s dream, the perfect gal. And what was even better, the annual Stationery Ball would happen in a week and people were invited to bring dates.

The scissors suddenly felt a surge of courage. As his mind screamed at him to turn back before he made a fool of himself, he felt his blades moving steadily toward paper.

As he approached paper he took a bit of crumbs to make it into flowers. When he came up to paper, he was ready to turn back, and give up, but then she turned around. Looking upon her he could wait no more, so he bent down on one knee and said the deciding words, “Will you go to the Stationary Ball with me?”

Shadow Gaunt"In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."-Benjamin Franklin